ITRC Solution 1Clearing a Fraudulent New Account

Financial identity theft may be discovered when the victim is notified by a company to verify a submitted application for credit, a bill for debts they did not incur or by reviewing their credit reports for suspicious activity. The following steps are recommended:

How were you notified?

If by letter, contact the fraud department of that company.

If by phone, make note of who you spoke with regarding this matter. You should ask to speak to the fraud department on all identity theft matters.

Take notes during the conversation and have them deny the application.

Contact the three major credit reporting agencies to place a fraud alert on your credit reports, and order your complimentary credit report. Please review your credit reports to identify all fraudulent accounts. Refer to ITRC Solution SN 03 for the necessary contact information to place a fraud alert.

Contact your local law enforcement to file a police report once you have any documented proof. You will want to order a copy of that police report and forward copies to the CRAs and any affected creditors.

Refer to ITRC Letter Form LF 100-1 - Initial Victim of Identity Theft Statement and Fraudulent Account Information Request: to Credit Issuers and/or Merchants. Send this letter, and all supporting documents, to any company that lists a fraudulent account on your credit report.

Give the company approximately 20 days to respond.

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This fact sheet should not be used in lieu of legal advice. Any requests to reproduce this material, other than by individual victims for their own use, should be directed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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